Rutgers Holds Important Academic Event

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N.J. Now In Charge Of NCAA Timing

While Temple lost earlier today, the hopes for one local women’s team could be improving. You see, a New Jersey state lawmaker is going to investigate a Rutgers loss earlier this year where there was a bad foul call!

Rutgers, who lost to Tennessee in last year’s NCAA Final and later had all its team members brutally murdered by Don Imus, lost the rematch this year on a foul called after time expired because the clock froze at 0.2 seconds. Tennessee hit a pair of free throws and the Vols won. To recap: The refs screwed up back on Feb. 11, some N.J. lawmaker just wants to investigate it now so the NCAA can, I ‘unno, give Rutgers a better seed all of a sudden.

Robert W. Singer is going to solve this huge problem and will probably not get any criticism for it. “It was an exciting game, and you know, you win some, you lose some,” he said. “That’s not the issue. The issue is with today’s technology there should be a better way to do it.” He actually wants the game overturned and the win given to Rutgers!

“This is not the most pressing issue, but it’s something to me that’s an issue that we can take care of and we can send a resolution,” he said. “Not a big deal to do, but it sends a message the state would like to take a look at it.”

Yes, the State of New Jersey should be investigating all NCAA clock violations. I believe those powers are enumerated to them in the U.S. Constitution.

Lawmaker seeks NCAA probe of Rutgers’ loss to Tennessee [Courier-Post/Associated Press]

Supreme Court Justice Thinks It’s 2000

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito spoke at Rutgers yesterday and talked about a ton of things, I’m sure, but the Associated Press picked up that he bashed The Sopranos, and so that’s what every news story says.

Yes, The Sopranos! The show that everyone liked ’til it cut to black during the final episode last year is apparently still a hot topic for spaghetti-eating mafia members Italians, because Alito says it’s offensive. Apparently, he was so excited about people calling Ed Rendell racist for saying some white people won’t vote for a black person, he wanted to hop on the offensiveness train, too.

During a visit to Rutgers University, Alito complained the hit HBO television drama “The Sopranos” not only associated Italian-Americans with the Mafia, but New Jerseyans as well.

“You have a trifecta — gangsters, Italian-Americans, New Jersey — wedded in the popular American imagination,” Alito said at an event sponsored by the university’s Italian studies program. Alito lived for nearly two decades in a West Caldwell home in the same area of New Jersey where the fictional Tony Soprano was supposed to live. Alito told the gathering of about 100 people that a friend in California once sent him a map of Sopranos-related locations. “He wanted me to put down where my house was on the map,” Alito said to laughs.

Later, Alito talked about how offensive The Untouchables was.

Alito takes on ‘Sopranos’ during visit to Rutgers [AP/Courier-Post]

Also, Rutgers Played First Football Game In 1869

As every single sportscaster in the United States noted last night, Rutgers played in the first football game of all time, against Princeton in 1869. Then Rutgers disappeared and, although thousands of people attended, no one in the United States had ever heard of it until last night, when the 15th-ranked Scarlet Knights upset 3rd-ranked Louisville.

During the game’s broadcast, viewers were treated to person-on-the-street interviews asking New Yorkers if they knew Rutgers’ nickname, lists of famous Rutgers alumni — Queen Latifah! Ozzie Nelson! Janet Evanovich! — and approximately 4500 Sopranos references. By the way, did you know Rutgers played in the first football game ever?

After the game, Philadelphia-area viewers were treated to the happiest man in Philadelphia’s thoughts on the big win:

Take hope, Temple fans.

Red storm for bowl game

A story in the Inquirer today highlights a man who might be the craziest sports fan on the planet: A die-hard, crazed Rutgers fan. Until this season, Rutgers hadn’t been to a bowl game since 1978, which means Temple had been to a bowl more recently than the Scarlet Knights. And that’s bad.

But that didn’t matter to Jeffrey Oldt, a Rutgers grad and season ticket holder who — after deciding he couldn’t afford to attend the game — had a giant party at his own place, complete with stolen bleachers, a Rutgers motorcycle, a new TV in front of a roaring fireplace, Jell-O shots, etc. And everything was red, the school’s color. (At this point, I’d like to nominate this man as Best Rutgers Fan Ever.)

All of this for Rutgers. The Inky story doesn’t say it, but — of course — the Scarlet Knights lost last night. Alas.

Rutgers fan brings bowl scene to his front lawn [Inky]
Arizona State 45, Rutgers 40 [AP via Yahoo!]